Can do attitude in America and there is the misunderstanding that Buddhism is about accepting and giving up on improvements.

Time constraints – Tibetan Buddhism – Preliminary Practices encouraged before the “real” teachings The traditional requirement was for over 1,000 hours of meditation before being taught “Mind Training”

Searching for other Approaches

I found other approaches that had dealt with my concerns and those approaches brought Buddhism alive for me with my cultural limitations and my own personal issues and complexes. The vocabulary of these approaches also made the teachings more understandable and accessible:

John Kabat-Zinn had studied Zen Buddhism and worked at the University Of Massachusetts Medical School. There were patients at the hospital that had gotten as much as they could out of conventional medicine but were still suffering.

For example a back surgeon might be able fuse a bone but the procedures didn’t always stop the back pain.

Second Arrow – In addition to the suffering from physical pain the debilitation led to the psychological wounding of despair which often would lead to depression but could be helped by mindfulness techniques.

Approaches and techniques used to market and deliver the ancient wisdom

Marketing approach – “Stress Reduction” “Mindfulness”

Didn’t talk about Buddhism or meditation, but focused on mindfulness

8 Week program

2.5 hours once a week and 1 Saturday session.

40 minutes of home practice.

Much less of a commitment then traditional “authentic” and the many of the attendees were people with severe problems.

Accessible Mindfulness techniques

The strange object (raisin) – guided meditation

Slowly eating a single raisin with mindfulness. Noticing the color, the texture, how you move your tongue to eat it etc. Very detail focus.

Message – Doing anything with full attention can be relaxing.

Personal comment

I had the misconception that meditation was about altering states of consciousness and about experiences attained while meditating.

MBSR changed my perception. Meditation is also about building the discipline to stay focused in the present moment, which I now believe is the most important advantage of a disciplined meditation practice.

40 minute guided meditations on tape and then CD’s

At the early stages of meditation the guided meditations are of particular value because they provide constant reminders to refocus.

The guided meditation CD’s also facilitate having a daily practice.

Evidenced Based Therapy – Making it scientific – Selling it to Americans

Double blind studies proved that mindfulness practices helped

the immune system fight colds and flu

improve the quality of sleep

These studies helped popularize and legitimize a mindfulness practice.

Articulating the message

Letting Go of the anxiety – Instead of acceptance

Avoids the negative conation of “Acceptance” and giving up.

“Not trying to be a better you”, but embracing the “you” that you are.

Very important psychologically!! – If we don’t become “enlightened” quickly enough then meditation becomes one more experience that makes us feel that we are inadequate. The great danger of a meditation practice!!!

All of the approaches highlight and focus on this point which is absolutely critical!

Personal – Another misconception that I had was that meditation was about becoming a better me.

Non Judgmental – Not labeling

The first step toward the suffering is the labeling, the judging, then comes either hatred and anger or guilt or shame. This cuts the suffering out at the root.

Personal Experience – My nose itched while I was meditating. I wasn’t supposed to scratch it. I was angry. I realized that it wasn’t helpful to be angry. I laughed at myself. I changed from angry to happy. I woke up to the fact that I am responsible for my own state of mind. No one else can change it. The question for me is now “Why am I letting it bother me?” rather than “Why did it happen?”

References – by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness.

This provides details about the MBSR program and some of the scientific results of the studies.

Wherever you go there you are

A series of very short insights into mindfulness practices. Light and enjoyable reading.

When we have strong emotional reactions to situations they are often related to powerful childhood experiences.

Example of a complex – “I want to be valued and respected”

If someone is dismissive of you, you will be disappointed. The amount of energy that is involved with that disappointment will depend upon your family of origin.

If you parents ignored you and disrespected you, there is likely to be tremendous energy triggered and it will be projected onto the other.

If you were loved and valued by your parents, you are more likely to have high self-esteem and the comments will bother you less. You are more likely to be able to understand that the comments are a sign of insecurity in the other.

Where there is energy it is pointing out your blind spots. It points out areas that are wounded within that you need to work with

Example – If you find someone is arrogant and self-righteous you are very likely to respond with arrogance and self-righteous.

Fundamentalism

Inability to accept ambiguity. We want a simple black and white world where we are all good and people with a different point of view are all wrong.

Many issues are gray but we don’t like this.

The more black and white we can be the more self-righteous we become.

Religion and politics bring out fundamentalism in many of us.

First two Noble Truths from a personal perspective

As I learn, grow and change my understanding of what the four noble truths means to me personally changes. At this point this is my personal view. It will keep changing.

Suffering

Suffering is the mental anguish caused by the thoughts that take control of our mind.

Those thoughts are dramatizations and exaggerations about unwanted situations.

If we ruminate on those dramatizations it may eventually cause depression.

The never ending thought stream keeps us in the past or future and we are unable to enjoy whatever beauty lies in the present moment.

Cause of Suffering

The socialization process and the fairy tales we were told us as children set up expectations that are difficult or impossible to fulfill.

When there are unwanted circumstances we:

Label and judge the situation

We dramatize the situation and exaggerate the consequences

We create the thought stream that becomes our suffering.

Complexes

We want to be honored and valued all the time. We want to project a persona of perfection but we often fail. The reaction to this disappointment and leads to blame: